Never 'I do,' Never die
by Alone in a New Place
Summary: If he didn't die, and proposed instead... [MuMurrue]
1. 1 Together Now

There are spoilers for Gundam SEED, (not GS Destiny) if you havent seen the whole series yet! If you haven't seen it all you can turn back!

Okay, this is my first Gundam SEED fan-fic, so it's, ah, I'm not used to it all and it's a _romance. . ._I'mnot so good with romance

I wrote this story to go with the thought: "Mu dies, leaving the love of his life, Murrue, behind. If he was to say, not have died, and he asked her to marry him, would she accept?--Even with the knowledge of a past love's death and that Mu could die just as easily?"

So, this is placed in a future after SEED that could never happen, because Mu's already dead, and I guess just to see what could have been. I know SEED Destiny is a 'sequel series' but since I haven't seen any of it yet I dont know if my future predictions are horribly wrong. (which they probably are)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gundam SEED,I do, however, own Mu's house and everything that's happened after the War, because, well, you never see it in the show, and it's all conjecture on my part.

* * *

The sunlight streamed through the windows, past the stone balcony outside them, basking Murrue in an early morning glow. Her amber eyes glittered as she looked out on the peaceful expanse before her. It almost didn't seem real.

"The war's really over," she mumbled softly, fingers strumming her hot mug of coffee.

"Yeah, but I wish the night wasn't." A voice came as soft hands slid around her waist from behind. So gentle yet so demanding.—And not to mention startling. Her cup went over the side of the railing, coffee and all, in her surprise. But they didn't really notice; for she was too busy playfully slapping him on the cheek. Mu smiled his usual roguish grin at her, blue eyes dancing.

"I wish you wouldn't say that, Mu."

"Oh, but _Captain_ . . . ," he whined, arms still encircling her as he nuzzled his face deep in her thick hair.

"That doesn't apply here, Mu. We're not with the Earth Forces anymore." He flickered back, her soft tone stopping his advance.

"Do you regret it?" She moved away from both him and the balcony, back inside.

"I never said I did."

"Ah, but you never said you didn't, either." Murrue turned to face him, him leaning playfully against the stone railing, tanned and muscular body washed in light. She raised an eyebrow at his provocative pose.

"You really should get more suitable clothes on," she mused as she fixed herself some more coffee. He laughed, golden hair flying.

"What about you?" She blushed looking down at her own thin nightgown.

"I will after I finish." Murrue replied stiffly. "And I'm almost done too." She quickly downed the hot drink to prove her point. The heat warmed her cheeks a little. He made his way over to her and his arms surrounded her once more.

"Why are we rushing anyway?" He asked innocently as he moved down for a kiss. She pushed him away before he could, but kept him within distance.

"Don't tell me you forgot!"

"I know, I know, the kid's party. We're holding it here. How could I forget when you've told me so many times?" He pushed her closer into him and smothered any protest she had with a deep kiss. Neither broke away after that.

The clock stroke an hour behind them and as much as Mu hated to, he moved to look. "Nine o'clock. The party's not until noon . . . what shall we do?" He flashed another of those roguish grins he was famous for in her mind's eye.

"Hm," Murrue, as hard as it was, went back to rinsing out the mugs. The reason for the delay was standing beside her. "Who's coming again?"

"People," Mu muttered as he quietly sat down, visibly hurt but laughing inside.

"Not _every-_one!" She cocked her head.

"Guess so, why?" Mu shrugged at her. She blushed slightly as she fumbled around for the words.

"I don't know if our house can fit everyone comfortably . . ."

_Thank God my back is turned, if he saw my face right now, I think I'd die_, Murrue thought, trying the cool down the excessive warmth on her cheeks.

Too bad Mu picked up on the subtlety in her words. His eyebrows arched as he set the paper in his hands. _God, you have to stop doing this to me, I don't know if I can take it_, he inwardly pleaded as she sat down beside, eyes diverted.

"'Our house' . . ." He muttered. "I kinda like the sound of that . . ."

"Yeah," she quietly recalled, "Thank you for taking me in after—"

"You've got to be kidding me!" He almost shouted in surprise, straightening out in his chair. "I couldn't very well leave you out in the rain! . . ." He softened as his hand found hers lovingly. "I'm just glad you weren't inside when it burned down. That would have been one loss too many, too _great_, no matter the odds. You're safe now and that's all the matters."

He rubbed her fingers slowly and felt her shudder beneath him. Murrue was the first to pull her hand away.

"I think it'd be best if we kept to ourselves while everybody's here today," her voice calm and unwavering, the voice of a captain gone but not forgotten. Though he admired her in that moment, when she walked away, his face fell.

"Why? He asked softly to her retreating back.

"Why?" She spun around so quickly, it startled him more than her blustering face and angered, choked up words. "Why—Because—Because—They—Because—"

Mu smiled and looked condescendingly into Murrue's brown eyes.

"They're not kid's anymore, though I might call them that, they can handle—"

"But we're still their Superiors! It would be just too awkward for them to . . . wouldn't it?" Her questioning face pouted slightly, suddenly unaware of the truth when faced with another one of Mu's grins. He held his hands up in mocking surrender.

"To ourselves," he agreed, still laughing, and it made her face screw up even further. Murre's eyes narrowed.

"Something tells me there's more . . ." Murrue looked quickly over her pristine surroundings. _It's surprising how neat he is, but at the moment, I wish he wasn't._ "Go-go clean or something," she sputtered before she walked into the bedroom and closed the door quickly. Mu's eyebrows arched once more when he heard the slow click of the lock. Not wanting to lose the moment, he called out, "We said later to ourselves, does that apply to now?"

Murrue's quick movements behind the door stopped; and his eyes widened. After a moment's silence: "Yes!" she almost burst. She swung the door open, after unlocking it, of course, and he couldn't help but stare.

Sure, he was toying with her before, but, now . . . She stood there in a casual, pale, yellow and red dress going amazingly well with her amber eyes and auburn hair. She was sultry, in every sense of the word. _God, she's beautiful and she acts like she doesn't know. Murrue . . ._ "What are you staring at?"

"Huh? What?" Mu was taken out of his thoughts by that same face peering into his own.

"What were you staring at?"

"Nothing, nothing." Not satisfied with his answer, Murrue stiffly walked off and grabbed her pocketbook.

"I'm going last-minute shopping. Stay here, and do _some_thing." She heard one last laugh from him as she closed the door. 'Do something,' was that the best she could say?

It was true, since the war had ended, there wasn't much to go back to, including a job. They were, though, invaluable to the still outstanding Orb Military with their battle experience, so they were on call if ever needed, and they both were still playing with instructing job offers, wondering about what would happen if they took them. They'd run out of money sometime. But it was the thought of 'sometime' that still kept them jobless by choice.

* * *

Mu, back in the house, had somehow slowly crawled his way into the bedroom. The house's empty silence stung his ears. _Was it really ever this quiet . . . ?_ He thought to himself, trying to remember what his house was like before the war, but he couldn't imagine it without her. 

He pensively fingered the box that was set on his table, mind, surprisingly shaken. He let out a sigh as his eyes traveled over the dresser. One trinket caught his eye, mingled around with the photographs so lavishly presented.

It was a grayish silver necklace, the large pendant, a small coffin with a rose sculpted onto the front. _Murrue's necklace, the one she never went without, is right in front of me while she's out in town . . . _

His thoughts went back to roughly four months before, right before it all ended: She had come up to him, afraid she wouldn't have had enough time before he left to say good-bye. The necklace, it was in memory of the one who came before, a mobile armor pilot that never made it back. He had never gone further, or asked the name, knowing it was such a hard-to-face thought for Murrue.

She had kept herself from getting involved with anybody military, because she knew how easily they could go. But she couldn't keep herself from loving him, and he couldn't keep himself away. Then, when his suit was destroyed in that last battle, she lost all hope, believing him to be dead. But he did live; by some miracle, he managed to survive, to have another chance at life, with her.

Mu never wanted her to feel that pain again, not after what he'd put her through, so it was a relief when the fighting stopped and they could go home. Except, her house had been done in by a fire while the war was going on and that was _another_ loss.

_But_, he told himself, eyeing the necklace again,_ she's taken it off . . . I didn't think she'd ever do that . . . why . . . !—But—!

* * *

_

"Mu!" She called throughout the house. Surprised at how quickly she came back, he popped his head out of the bedroom. "What? What have you been doing for the past two hours, Mu?" She almost laughed, looking down at his still shirtless chest.

"Huh?" He rubbed his head, ruffled his hair and looked back at the bed he had just jumped out of. "Oh, guess I fell asleep . . ."

"Seems so, you did look tired," she told him, busily unwrapping boxes and container after container of food. She was neatly displaying each edible morsel on a plate.

"What haven't you been doing?" He asked her, quickly regaining his sense of humor.

"I thought you knew. Since we both agreed that neither can really cook, I asked a friend to make some food for us today. I was helping her."

"Hmm," Mu eyed the food as his stomach moved inside of him. He reached for a piece and she swatted him away.

"Leave some for everybody else, Mu."

"But I'm a guest too," he whined.

"Get dressed and come out and help me," she retorted. Smiling, Mu did what he was told. _Murrue's in better spirits since this morning. _

The second he stepped out, fully dressed, she was waiting. Murrue dropped a huge platter into each of the ex-Commander's thick hands. "There, that's the last of them I think. They go in the Living room." He was surprised by her briskness but followed her into the living room, making his way carefully down a grand staircase. Why they put the kitchen on the top floor, he did not know, nor did he really care . . .

"How did we get roped into this?" He sighed as they set the plates strategically on the grand white table, just in view of the door.

"As I recall you're the one who offered our house for their play ground." She was calm and didn't falter in her words; she was almost casual with them.

Murrue started to walk away, Mu behind her, but when she turned to go up the stairs, he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him. She started to feel her legs give underneath her as his warm breath grazed her skin, so in one feeble attempt: "Our agreement, remember?"

"Yeah, but nobody's here yet, are they?" He slowly moved forward, giving her ample time to move away, but instead she found herself moving up as well. Their lips were just about to connect when Mu's face screwed up at the sound of his doorbell. He, himself, was the first to move away; absolutely regretting it, but, a promise was a promise.

He slowly slumped his way over to the door and tried to put on a smile, completely annoyed at the idiots that had enough sense to actually come _on time_.

* * *

**AN: **Yeah, bad break to it, sorry 


	2. 1 The Gift

Disclaimer: See page before, you probably did already if you're reading this . . . Slight references to Mir x Deke, La x Ki and Ath x Cag

* * *

He opened the door to find a small, but bright eyed girl, cropped russet hair flashing against her blue eyes, standing next to guy who could only be described as mellowed out with a thick head of yellow hair. 

"Miriallia and Dearka," Mu muttered, trying to keep a smiling face. He had found out the identities of the two people who single handedly ruined his day.

"Hi!" She gave a happy little wave; her orange dress twirled slightly.

"Yeah," Dearka slid his hands into his pockets casually.

"Hope we're not too early," Miriallia closed into herself, seeing only Murrue behind Mu's tall, towering figure leaning in the doorway.

"Actua—"

"No, you're right on time," Murrue stepped in easily, completely aware of what Mu was about to say. "It's just everybody else who's late." The pair walked in, looking at the surrounding room. Vast and open, filled with light, but sadly empty. Miriallia moved closer to Dearka in the awkwardness of being in Mu's house while still managing to maintain her happy outside.

Mu closed the door and Murrue started back up the stairs.

"Oh, Captain, need help?" Miriallia offered quickly.

"It's just Murrue now," she told the girl in that low and wistful voice that Mu had heard earlier and it chilled him yet again. "But, yes, I'd love some help." As the two ladies started to disappear, Dearka calmly looked around the vast room.

"You're getting it on nicely," he remarked off-handedly; causing Mu to stiffen up and elbow the other in the stomach.

"Nosy kid." Dearka set off laughing as the doorbell rung yet again.

Lacus Cline and Andrew Waltfeld.

"Good afternoon, Mister LaFlaga." Lacus smiled as a pink mechanical ball jumped from her hands. Mu guided the pair inside, receiving a quiet nod from the cut-up Andy as he gracefully hobbled up the stairs. Mu followed them up, everybody was gathering in his kitchen since the crowd wasn't there yet. The ZAFT commander turned Eternal Captain saw Murrue and smiled.

"Ah, Ms . . ." Andy glanced down, "—_Ramius_ . . . nice to see you again." That pause froze everyone up who noticed: Mu, Murrue and Dearka. Dearka grinned; and the thought that Andy had to even check her left hand made Murrue blush, boiling inside, and made Mu sweat behind him.

_Too much stress._

A welcome relief came when the doorbell rang again. Mu dashed out of the room before anybody could stop him.

_Way too much stress._ The door opened to show more people from the Archangel crew, the technical Sai and the shy Kuzzey. Mu flashed a smile as he thumbed them towards the stairs.

"They're up there," he told them, completely not hearing what they said in return. They spoke to him for about a minute, the topic completely meaningless to him, he was too preoccupied, nodding all throughout.

When Sai and Kuzzey left to go upstairs, Mu wrenched open the closest door and slammed it behind him. His hands wrapped around the stone counter as he tried to calm himself down, regulate his breathing somewhat. He took one glance at his refection and suddenly noticed all the signs of aging he wasn't supposed to have yet. He leaned his forehead on the bathroom glass and watched the clouds he breathed onto it.

_I'm a mess . . . Is that a good thing . . . ?_

The small box, a lot smaller than a gun and weighing tons less, seemed huge and heavy, weighing his pocket down. The tiny bulge in the fabric where it hid felt as obvious as a neon sign.

Mu doused his face with water, washing off the sticky sweat. He dried it with a towel, still working on the breathing.

"I'm not supposed to be this worked up," he muttered.

Another doorbell, another guest. This time, Kisaka, an officer for Orb's military. And behind him, three of the crew: Neumann, Romero and Mr. Murdoch.

Mu had regained his laughing outside as he followed the quiet Colonel and his talkative former crew up the stairs to the party that had gotten increasingly noisy. It was supposed to be a surprise party, and if the kids could hear it coming, then the messing up of his house was a worthless effort.

The twelve people were all sitting idly by in the kitchen when Mu got there, drinking, eating, food he had brought downstairs miraculously back up again. The topic of conversation: who exactly it was that set everything up.

"I get how Kira thinks he's coming to a surprise birthday party for Cagalli and vise versa, but I swear that Cagalli helped with the invitations," somebody laughed.

"Yeah, and then it was Kira who decided who to ask for a party ground."

"Yeah," Mu cut in, "Just be glad I agreed to let you use o—_my_ house." Murrue and othersuspicious parties glanced up, but other than that, nobody noticed Mu's misstep.

"But that's only because it's the biggest and, sorry to say it, but emptiest. Nice place but isn't the silence a little unnerving!" There it was; they were getting _there_. Mu held up his hands in shaken surrender.

"Hey, hey, don't gang up on the partial host here," he laughed.

"Well then, 'Partial Host,' we're running out of food!"

"Yeah, and get us some more of these little toasted things . . ." Mu gave an exaggerated sigh and started his way down the stairs. Murrue looked back at him.

"We're going to need more than two plates," she told the rest of the party as some reason for following Mu out of the room. Murrue had moved her way seamlessly over to the owner of the house, slowly leaned over the table. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Mu looked up, laughing. "Of course I am. Like to see the day I wouldn't be. Hell'd have frozen over twice and there'd actually be peace o—" He stopped, surprised when she fluttered a kiss over his cheek. He looked down at her amber eyes and flashed another roguish grin. "What about keeping to ourselves?" He mused, hands lightly teasing her waist.

She smoothed his shirt out, pulling down harder than she had to around his collar.

"I just thought you were looking a little down, that's all." She yanked again, his head jerking down. He wanted to kiss her, but not miss her lips; he wanted to, but held back. "Now, let's get back to the party. They're probably wondering where the food is." She stiffly walked away one of the smallest plates held in her hand. Mu smiled after her, hand resting on his pocket. Suddenly, he couldn't understand the fear he felt before.

The doorbell rang again and you could hear the party suddenly quiet upstairs. It was five minutes to One, the time Kira and Cagalli were told to be here. Could one of them have been early? Murrue, still on the stairs, turned around. From where she was, she could see through the windows over the door. Everybody else hung around her, quietly making their way out of the kitchen. She sighed and nodded to Mu with a smile, he went to open the door.

Behind her, you could hear the 'pink-haired-princess' giggle, her Haro following suit.

"That's Athrun for you. Always late." Laughter erupted as the pristine soldier walked inside.

"Lacus . . ." He sighed, only imagining what she could have said.

"Well, it doesn't change the fact that you're kinda cutting it close," Andy laughed.

"Yeah, sorry. A slight detour." Athrun looked around as the Haro started shooting towards him. "So I guess they haven't come yet?"

* * *

Kira came walking casually down the peaceful street, mechanical Birdie on his shoulder. _Cagalli's party is going to be great_, he kept thinking. _And it's being held at Mu's place, another adventure, but I wonder how things are going with him and Murrue . . ._ Kira'd been looking forward to this surprise party all day, only in the back of his mind was the alert going off about how it was his birthday too. He juggled the small gift in his hand as he kept walking, whistling the day away. 

Cagalli was briskly making her way towards the house of that annoying man. Sure, she knew him better, but he still had that attitude that didn't sit right. Why they chose to have the party at that man's place was perplexing enough. Her mind kept going over the last talks she had with Athrun and the others and she kept worrying it wasn't going to work right. They didn't seem too together. That and Lacus could never keep her mouth shut.

They both came down the street, each lost in their own minds, respectably. The two sidewalks crashed into each other, meeting at the walk towards the ex-Commander's ashen home. Thankfully, the kids' attention spans collided before they did.

"Kira?"

"Uh, Cagalli!" The pair met and an awkward silence followed, broken only by the chirping so nicely supplied by Birdy.

"So, ah, what are you doing here, Kira?" She slid his card behind her back.

"Oh, Mu needed help cleaning out his attic, so I came to help. You?" He swallowed, small box hidden in his hand.

"He was promoted—I just came to give him the news, hah." They smiled at each other understandingly, except both knew that Mu's flat-roofed house obviously didn't have space for an attic, nor was he in active service so he couldn't move up the ladder. Did they notice? No. Did they care? No.

"Going inside?" Kira offered, voice slightly strangled.

"Oh, yes. You?"

"Yeah." The pair made their way shiftily to the door, each knowing in their heads that they single-handedly ruined the surprise for the other.

* * *

"Shh, they're coming!" Hurried whispers crowded the small space in the space cradled by the grand staircase banisters and before the door. The group would have turned off the lights, but the grand bay windows brought in too much light even with curtains. 

One tentative knock. Then two.

The handle was tried and the door gave easily.

"Um, Mu, you in there?" Kira's voice wafted in, unsure of what to be saying. The door swung slowly on its hinges, slowly revealing them all.

The looks on Kira and Cagalli's faces were priceless when they all shouted "SURPRISE!"

"Uh, Mu!" Was all Kira managed to get out. Mu replied with a wink, a shrug and another grin.

* * *

The party went on, after everybody got their last word in on how the twins had been duped, of course, explaining it all. It kept getting louder and 'wilder.' Even Mu had tons of chances to stick close by Murrue and tease her slightly. Nobody would have noticed. 

Somehow, everybody managed to get a spot in the Living room. Lacus curled up beside Kira and Athrun at Cagalli's shoulder as always. It was starting to simmer down. As the presents were being presented.

"Is that the last of the goodies?" Somebody asked, let down because of the good time they brought.

Mu swallowed.

This was the time. He knew it.

"I have a gift!" He announced proudly. "But it's not for the Birthday Boy or Girl . . ."

Of all the people's heads to turn to him, Murrue's was the most beautiful and the most confused. He had made his way over to her, smiling, but not laughing. He held out his hand to her and in his palm sat the small black box from his pocket.

Murrue's heart was beating so fast and so hard she didn't know if her body could take it. Her eyes kept flickering from Mu's knowing grin back to the gift box laid out before her. Her pale, shaking hands reached for it. But she didn't know why they were shaking. Was she scared or excited?

The top popped open and a small gasp escaped her natural lips. There, in the box, a small, intricate ring. Silver and woven, and, at the top, a clear cut stone that shone with a sparkling vision.

A _diamond_.

Every thought, every sense of reality fluttered out of her like every breath.

". . . I—I don't know what to say . . ." Mu's grin faltered. With a sigh, he replied, the joke out of his eyes.

"You know . . . Of all the meaningful things in the world, that's the one I'd actually _want _an answer to . . ."

"I—"

* * *

**AN:** I've taken time into my thoughts to give a serious thought into what she'd say. I didnt know whether she'd say yes or no, whether she'd say anything, or whether it'd be dream or reality, but i passed that writer's block and went on to write more. 


	3. 1 Past against Future

Sorry, this is a little longer than the others, but it gets where you want it to be. (no, i _still_ don't own)

* * *

He smiled, not a laughing smile, or a playing one, he just smiled and for that moment, all of Murrue's troubles seemed to melt away with it. She took a deep breath, slowing down her heart. Her face bore a new, glittering determination. 

"I—"

"No."

"What?" Murrue cocked her head. Mu was making no sense, why did _he_ just tell _her_ 'no'? Everybody behind him was wondering the same thing, it was so still, and it was amazing, believing how rowdy it was before. She opened her mouth to question his grin again, but he covered it with his fingers.

"Things like this take time. Don't go rushing into it. You've got all the time in the world, spend at least a little of it while you can." Mu left her dumbstruck, still holding the ring as he picked up his jacket. "We're out of coffee, and I forgot to tell you. I'll get it now," he spoke, almost randomly to the air as he stepped out the door. Leaving the people behind, gaping and speechless.

Kira's eyes narrowed before he came dashing out the door as well.

"Mu!" The man paused in his drive. Kira was shouting but using every restraint not to hit him. "How could you do that? To her?" Mu kept his back turned.

"You wouldn't understand, Kid."

"Mu! You can't—"

"Kira!" He spun around all ready to get his point across, yet he faltered. The anger slowly shifted out of his face. Mu's blue eyes shimmered slightly under the boy's taken-aback but hot gaze. ". . . happy birthday." Kira watched him slowly walk away, light blue jacket causally tossed over one shoulder. He was laughing. Kira's fist slowly clenched as Mu walked out of sight.

"Kira?"

"Huh?" He turned to see Cagalli, reaching out for him, amber eyes strained. "Oh, how is she?" Kira asked quietly; his sister turned away showing Athrun and Lacus making their way outside, everyone else in the door.

"We don't know. She ran into the bedroom and locked the door. We can't get close."

"You're surprised?"

"Well," her brow furrowed, knumb-ing though her words, "it looks like it was her bedroom . . ." Athrun pushed passed Cagalli, his anger almost offsetting her discomfort.

"How could that man do this?" He shouted; Kira could only weakly smile.

"You don't get it . . . ? He wants her decision based on love and not in the heat of the moment."

"What, so, he humiliates her in front of a room full of friends, leaves her to herself and walks off laughing! Kira?" Kira looked back the way Mu had left, his voice quiet and still.

"He wasn't laughing." Athrun stepped back, swallowing his words; Cagalli gasping slightly. Lacus's often bright blue eyes turned troubled as she cradled Haro in her hands.

"Oh, yes, how very sad . . ."

* * *

Murrue had somehow made her way out of the room, numbly making her way around the darkening kitchen. She couldn't remember what she'd been doing for all that time, but it left her feeling weak and helpless. The entire house was empty and the sun was down, but she didn't bother turning on any lights. Mu wasn't home yet and everybody had left, but they had taken the time to clean up, saving her a hassle. 

She walked along until her foot painfully caught a small step. She came crashing down, hard on the polished wood floor.

_'. . . Watch your step, Silly . . .'_ He'd told her so many times and Mu's laughing face echoed in her head. Her suddenly frail hands clasped tighter around their own trace of a memory. One held the necklace she'd salvaged from the dresser, the coffin and rose, her painful past, and the other gripped the smooth velvet ring box, a promising future. But which to choose?

_The future of course_, her mind told her, like it was obvious. Her hand clung tighter to the necklace. _But back then had a beautiful guarantee as well, and then it was all ripped away._ Such is the fate of a soldier for Mu still was one, as was she.

And she cried.

She cried bitter tears as she pushed herself far enough from the floor to lean against the wall. She almost could see Mu sitting quietly on the couch across the room, not moving at her sobs.

_'. . . A girl cries in front of you and you do nothing? What type of man are you?'_

_'What, you want me to cradle her in my arms, hold her close and tell her that everything's going to be alright when I have no clue if it is? What kind of 'comfort' can cheap lies like that bring?'_

_'Wha—?'_

_'Besides, I'm not so good in sticky situations . . .'_

The tears stung her face, running over both the boxes in her hands. Somehow he was with her when she was alone, helping her when there was no way.

_'. . . Didn't you know? I'm the guy who can make the impossible, possible . . .'_

There, curled on the floor of the hallway, Murrue somehow cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Sunlight dashed over her eyes as they slowly opened, welcoming the new day. Except, the day they met wasn't in the kitchen, she was in the bedroom. She slowly breathed in the unique scent of the room as she curled into the covers. Soon the smell of something good, she didn't know quite what, wafted into the room and curiosity overcame her drowsiness as Murrue pushed her way into the kitchen. Mu was standing over the counter immersed in both his coffee and his paper. He looked up as the door closed behind her. His face held surprise, then loving relief, and he smiled. 

"Good Morning. Coffee?" He held out a mug towards her, and she daintily grabbed onto it. She looked down at the food set on the table as she sat down.

"You cooked?"

"Huh?" Mu looked up. "Oh, hell no. Just some food from that friend of yours. It's actually kinda good," he laughed. "But, know what I realized? You swatted me away from those appetizing snacks yesterday and told me to wait for the party . . . and I never got one." This time he broke out in laughter. Murrue stood up again, leaving her untouched coffee behind on the table. She could not believe how casual he was.

He had _proposed _yesterday and was waiting for an answer; how could he act like nothing's changed between them? Everything's changed.

"Oh, so I owe you her cooking now?" Murrue made her way over to him, trying to match his relaxed feel by cracking some semblance of a joke.

"Yes," Mu turned to her, "That and another thing . . ."

He pulled her closer and kissed her. It was a deep, hungry kiss, one filled withwanted passion, yet, somehow, it was soft and gentle, giving her a path to move away. The fact that she wouldn't, or couldn't, had kept her there, draining in his arms. The more they kissed, the more he found himself, pushing her closer and the more she found she was letting him.

Mu slowly broke off, almost surprised she didn't, but when their lips came apart, Murrue leaned into him with a sigh. For once, he was startled and unsure of what to do as all he could do was stand there, patting down her hair with his hand.

"Murrue, I—"

"I'm sorry . . ."

"What? Why are you—" This time, he was interrupted by a small gasp that escaped her lips. Because she had been too confused about what he was doing, she never took notice of what he was wearing. She had just become aware of that, not only was he fully dressed, but fully dressed in an Orb uniform. The only thing he wasn't wearing was the jacket.

Suddenly, all she could see before her was a soldier.

"W-what?"

"Oh, yeah," Mu replied, laugh trying to creep into his voice but he forced it down as his hand ran through his hair. "They called me in for some tactical guidance, but they don't allow civilians through the gate. I have to wear this to be inside . . ." He looked down into her dawning eyes, hand resting on her arm tightening slightly. "But if you want me here, there's always another day . . . another person . . ."

"No, go. If they asked you, it must be important." He smiled and leaned to give her a fleeting kiss. When he spoke again, his voice was low and his eyes were dancing.

"What if I don't want to go?"

"I'll make you," she whispered back as _she_ kissed _him_. Murrue glanced at the clock beside them. "What time do you have to be there?" His face screwed up as he looked at it.

"Ten minutes ago, why?" he muttered kissing her again, hands holding her closer. She playfully pushed him away.

"Don't make me stop you!"

"What if I want you to?"

"Get out, Mu," Murrue laughed, pushing him towards the staircase. He gave her one more kiss on the stairs before he started reluctantly walking away.

"See you later, Murrue." Somehow, the way his voice picked up, it sounded more like a question than a closing. She watched his hand close tighter around his soldier's cap.

"Yes, see you tonight, Mu." Her heart skipped a beat when his face lit up.

"Till then." He walked out, cap on head, day somehow seeming _even_ brighter.

Murrue smiled and gave him a wave he didn't get a chance to see because the door had closed, and she liked it that way.

One glance down at her clothes, though, sent her spiraling. She was still in the dress from yesterday. Mu had moved her into the bed the night before and respected her feelings, like he_ always_ did somehow.

She was angry, he'd bug her always _just_ enough.

She was upset, he'd kiss her, but always left an escape route.

_Always_.

Murrue made her way into the bedroom they shared to change. Her eyes darted to the dresser and among the photographs and memories sat the tiny black box. The ring was there, but her necklace? Her eyes scanned the room, landing on the bedside table across the way. He'd put it there.

Just like always.

She moved over to the coffin pendant and cradled it slowly in her fingers. Murrue's amber eyes stared at the box on the dresser.

* * *

Murrue went off on a short shopping trip for the day: a new dress and nightgown for her and a new shirt for him. He'd been complaining. She got home no less than a minute after Mu did, but he was already changed out of his uniform. He ran up to her, tentatively waiting until she smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

"I've got some clothes for you," she announced, holding up the bag.

"Did you now . . ." He sent her another roguish grin which she replied with a playful push.

* * *

They sat talking over dinner, about anything it seems and the time flew by for both of them, lost in each other. 

Murrue knew that the proposal still hung thickly for both of them, lumps in their throats that no amount of water could wash away. She could see n his deep blue eyes that he wanted to ask her about it desperately, that his life was hanging on a thread with no answer to it, but he didn't ask. He knew she needed time. And that care . . .

Mu yawned and stretched in his chair.

"I don't know about you, but I am beat!" He yawned again. "I'm going off to bed, you coming?"

"I-I'll be in soon," Murrue waved him away.

"Okay," Mu stifled another one, "See you in the Morning. Good Night."

"Good Night . . ." Murrue stayed put in the dark kitchen, going over a lot of things in her mind that she didn't know if she could handle, but when the heaviness of sleep began to overtake her as well, she emptied her glass of water and sneaked into the bedroom.

Mu was curled up in the bed, sleeping silently, but off to one side, leaving space for Murrue on the mattress.

She smiled, remembering what it was like when she just moved in. Mu'd taken to sleeping on the couch, but Murrue forced him to let her sleep there and him take his bed back. They'd decided to buy her a bed too and fit it somewhere, except the bed never came because after a while, they didn't need it.

Murrue glanced at Mu again; when he was asleep he looked so innocent and so cute. She slowly and quietly changed into the white bed-robe she bought earlier that day. Mu really had been tired, she didn't want to wake him up.

Her eyes passed over the untouched box on the dresser and then onto her necklace on the table. She swiped them both off the wood, clenched them in her hand and shoved both the necklace and ring into the closest drawer, slamming it shut.

Mu stirred; Murrue fell in on herself. She tip-toed over to the bed, grazed his face with a kiss and snuggled herself in next to him. She quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Morning came again and Murrue woke up in the bed, alone. She sat up in her fear. 

_Mu!_ It quickly melted away when she started hearing him moving around outside the door. She breathed a slow sigh of relief.

* * *

Mu was moving his way around the kitchen, fervently cleaning yesterday's dinner away. Both of them had forgotten. He was also brewing himself some coffee, some for Murrue as well, when she woke up that is . . . 

As if listening to his thoughts, Murrue chose that moment to step lightly out of the bedroom, draped in a flattering white nightgown. She walked slowly towards him, cheeks slightly rosy, hair, amazingly tousled.

Mu cocked his head until his eyes met with what she held out to him in her hand.

The tiny black box.

"Ask me again?"

"Huh?" Murrue, picked up one of his thick, numb hands and placed it in his palm.

"I—I have an answer . . . Can you ask me again?" Mu was stunned, shaking.

An answer . . . a real answer. He looked towards Murrue, her flat face not telling him anything, making his heart beat even more.

"Okay," Mu fumbled, bringing the ring box higher as he started to kneel down lower onto the cool wooden floor. "Murrue . . ."

He went to open the small package.

"Will you," he swallowed down his dawning fear.

"Marry m—huh!" His eyes opened in shock and surprise when he saw what was inside the open box.

Nothing.

It was empty.


	4. 1 As an Afterthought

_It was empty._

Murrue laughed at his face, his reaction so memorable as she swung her left hand in front of his widening, sparkling eyes. All the air fell out of him the very moment he saw the silver diamond ring already slipped on her finger.

Mu sprung up, off the floor and looked at Murrue's face already starting to shine with tears.

"Really?" He breathed; all she could get out was a nod.

She kissed him, a meaningful, invigorating kiss. She took the offensive. All she could get out between their embraces came out as a whisper in his ear.

"Just . . . don't die on me . . . okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere . . ." He whispered back, adding, "Like I'd want to," as a laughing afterthought.

* * *

Oh look, another sweet ending. Well i like it and many people were asking me to make her say yes, though i couldn't really see her say no let alone write it myself . . . 

This is the end of Part One/Book One/Story One--whatever you want to call it. . . People also wanted a sequel or supplementary story to this one, so, I did write onebecauseI wanted to, it just took a while for the ideas to start flowing. The second half will consist of 4 chapters (5-8) and the first chapter's called "They Danced"

Hope you'll enjoy!


	5. 2 They Danced

Welcome to Part Two of this 'charming' story, After a bit of pestering I extended my original 4 chapters to 8.

I promise that by chapter 8 it'll be the day of the wedding--if nothing happens inbetween--

Disclaimer:I still don't own Gundam SEED, i haven't seen GS Destiny and so all my 'predictions' are of course false, but, hey, this is a fan-fiction, discrepencies are mostly allowed.

Warning: I can't seem to see them dancing, it just doesn't really fit them, so just be wary if I stray off their character too much on this one. Oh, and I'm sorry for my portrayal of Mu as a "neat-freak" but I just tend to think of him as a tidy person and I have no idea why. (Tidy when it comes to his surrounings anyway . . .)

* * *

He looked up and gazed at the ceiling in the quiet of the night. Eyes adjusted to the darkness, covers of the bed pulled up to his chest, arms cradled above his head. It was slightly cool in that large room, but Mu didn't notice. Besides, how could he when Murrue's head of dark hair had somehow found its place in the hollow of his shoulder. 

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, sleepy but concerned, as she nuzzled herself instinctively closer in the cold of the room.

"No, just thinking," he assured her quietly.

"Oh, okay."

He inwardly shifted at the silence even though he didn't seem to mind it before. Mu's blue eyes darted down to her, not surprised to find the amber looking up at him, waiting for an elaboration, whether they wanted it or not. He smiled.

"I was just thinking how I couldn't see you in white . . .—Not white-white, but _that_ white. You know, with the dress, and the shoes, and the flowers, and the veil and the . . ." His cheeks slightly flushed at the thought of a wedding, _his_ wedding.

"Well, it's not like I can see you in a tux," she retorted, pushing herself partially off the bed.

"Huh? Really!" He straightened, dumbfounded, glancing down at himself, trying to picture it. Murrue bit her lip before falling back down.

". . . No, actually I can," she mumbled; he laughed.

---

"Good morning," she smiled weakly as Mu made his way into the bright kitchen. She was always the one up first, so it was natural for him to come in later than usual. This time he seemed to walk in slower, yet one glance at her sent him standing taller.

"Yes, good. No work for either of us," he reminded with a grin, making his way quickly to her side. Because they couldn't live on savings forever, they both agreed to high-pay/low-work jobs for Orb's still outstanding Military; though called instructing jobs, they mostly were the people the instructors answered to; her, ship handling and him, tactical guidance.

Mu flashed that roguish grin that would normally melt her inside, but now it just ticked her off, as his arms encircled her waist. Murrue pushed her fiancé away before he could kiss her.

"When'd you get to sleep last night?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

"I was only up for a few minutes . . ." He nervously avoided her eyes.

"No, you weren't, I was watching the clock." He twitched, trying to remember how long he'd been awake until he suddenly felt her stiffen, still in his arms. "Mu . . . ," she started quietly, "Something tells me there's more on your mind than the thought of what I'd look in white . . ."

"And why do I need to think about more than that?" He implored as he fondly cupped her chin and let his thumb run across her lips.

Mu moved in for his second attempt to kiss her. She moved her head aside and pushed his face away again, but not after he set a few kisses on her neck.

"I'm serious," she sighed. Sometimes she couldn't stand his tenacity.

"What's for dinner?"

"What?" Murrue was swept away by his out-of-the-blue reply. "I-I don't know . . ." She tried to recover herself under the gaze of his azure, laughing eyes. "What do you want?"

"Well, I haven't seen the menu yet," Mu gave a curt reply; eyes still laughing as Murrue cocked her head in confusion once again.

"What menu?"

"I haven't picked it yet." He grinned, instinctively holding her closer. "I want to take you out to dinner—a fancy one."

"Something tells me there's more . . . and the last time I thought so, you proposed," She told him flatly, holding up her left hand as proof, flashing the silver-banded diamond.

"Ah, well . . ." Mu ran his fingers through his blond hair, trying to hide his undying grin. "I can't propose again since I already did. It's impossible, so, nothing to worry about."

"Aren't you the man who 'can make the impossible, possible'?"

"I think that's one impossibility that will regretfully stay impossible," he sighed, greatly over-exaggerating the gesture.

"Hmm . . ." Murrue's eyes narrowed, not convinced as she finally pulled away from his hold. A smirk came to her lips when she saw Mu deflate, acting all hurt because he didn't get his kiss.

"So, when do you want to have dinner? Seven or Eight or both?" He asked to the side while holding up a small basket filled with sweet, breakfast muffins and such up for her with a lovable, cocky grin. She almost regretfully picked out a tasty misplaced éclair for herself, the only one there, so Mu must have put it in.

He grinned. "Oh, and it'll be fancy, so may I suggest that dress you have, you know, the one gathering dust in the back of the closet?"

"Mu? Honey?" Murrue smiled pure toxic sugar before stuffing the pastry deep into his large mouth, giving an extra push as an after-thought. "Quit while you're ahead," she muttered walking away as Mu happily chewed the éclair.

---

The day went by, quiet, peacefully. Mu was needlessly cleaning his already picture perfect house while Murrue was nowhere to be seen. She was either avoiding him inside or she'd gone out, but either way, Mu didn't care. He knew she'd be back before seven, whether she said yes to dinner or not.

And sure enough, when seven o'clock rolled around, there she appeared. He'd like to have said she came to his arms romantically: he at the bottom of the stairs, watching her as she sultrily sauntered down from the top. But instead he was downstairs, sorting a few last minute things on a desk, looking suave in his debonair clothes, when she came and tapped him on the shoulder, startling him so much he jumped.

"I thought we were going to dinner," she reminded him as he turned to look at her; all he could do was not make his loss of breath obvious.

She was standing there in a black and white, low-high dress: low cut, low back, with a high slit up the side. It was extremely flattering, clinging tightly while hanging loose in all the right places. It was something you could tell she didn't wear very often. Even her hair was slightly pulled back.

"Ah, so you do have one of those," he laughed, quickly regaining his humor, trying his hardest not to touch her, but he was quickly loosing the fight. Murrue suspiciously cocked her head. "Well, not every girl has one of those dresses in the back of their closet, but I correctly pegged you as one who does. It's not like I go through people's clothes, Captain," he subtly mocked. She replied with a flat stare before trying to move away, but Mu caught her first and held her closer, one hand against the small of her back, the other teasing her waist. "I thought we were going to dinner."

"Didn't you make reservations for Seven-thirty?" She avoided, glancing at the clock.

"Yes, but we leave at Seven, get seated by Seven-thirty and start eating at 8, and there you go, dinner at both Seven and Eight, like I promised," he grinned, knowing he won when she loosened by his side and lightly leaned into him.

"You really do—"

"And do you know what _you_ promised?" He pouted slightly gazing into her face, the one mixed with emotions. She had to ask, even though she already knew.

"What?"

"A kiss." She glared at him, smiling. Murrue leaned up and placed a short sweet peck by his lips. He grinned again. "You sneaky, little—" With a roll of her eyes she gave Mu another.

"There, two enough?"

"Actu—"

"Let's go." She playfully hit him and started to pull him out the door, both laughing, both having good feelings about where the night was headed.

---

It was a wonderful restaurant, and 'fancy' was a definite understatement; Mu had really out done himself. It was romantic: airy, dim with candlelight, wonderful music and a dance floor right beside their sand-marble table. The food was amazing; the pair had eaten slowly through each course, their main meal finally pulled away, soon to be replaced with rich desserts.

Murrue found her fingers tapping quietly along to the soft, slow music as she glanced over at her smiling date.

"You've been quiet tonight, Mu," she muttered.

"Huh? I have?" He asked disbelievingly. Actually, he'd been laughing and talking the whole night, but it was the reserve look in his eyes that tipped the woman off.

"Is there something . . . y—" She started.

"Want to dance?"

"Huh?" Murrue blinked at him. Mu sat across the table, halfway out of his chair, hand extended to hers, sapphire eyes sparkling.

"I've been longing to ask you all night. Do you want to dance?" He asked again more eagerly, truth in his words.

"I don't think I c—"

"Oh, come on!" Mu grabbed her hand before she could resist and with his strong arms, pulled Murrue out of her chair on onto the floor; she was easily ensnared in his embrace.

"Mu, I meant it when I said I couldn't dance," she pouted, blushing heatedly, trying to bury her face in his jacket with embarrassment. They were the only ones on the floor at the moment and people were 'staring.'

"It's easy," he told her. "Just hold me close and let your feelings do the walking . . ." Other couples began to make their way over, the slow, whimsical song being played was perfect for an amorous dance.

"You keep changing the subject," Murrue realized.

"Do I?" Mu laughed, spinning her around.

They moved slowly to the music, nothing much in their minds, completely lost in the feel of each other. Murrue was sure she had fallen asleep somehow in his embrace. But that was until Mu's hold on her suddenly became very tight, gripping her even closer to his body. His voice appeared: heat against her ear, serious and concerned.

"Even if I can't be by your side, I'll always be with you. You know that, right?"

"Mu—!" Murrue went to push away from him, but his strong grip held her in place against him. She couldn't believe what he actually was saying. She could only think why and it made her slightly shudder off an inward chill.

She was scared.

"You know that, right?" He asked again, more stern than before, but also more pleading.

After a few seconds of standing still, the felt heartbeats of both beating strongly in each other's chests, Mu moved back and grinned a playful smile, like nothing had happened. "How do you expect to dance when you're so stiff?" He laughed. "Just loosen up and dance," he muttered, sounding almost fed up, but his affectionate grin told otherwise.

"I didn't know you could dance, Mu."

"I can't," he smirked back at the shocked confusion clouding once more over her face. "If you look around, we're doing something completely different from the rest." Murrue didn't waste time looking, she buried her face even closer into him with embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, relax," he whispered softly in her ear followed by a tempting kiss. Murrue smiled and kissed him back in the same spot on his head, but, even to her amazement, kept going, drawing a line of short, sweet brushes along his jawbone until her lips came across his.

"What, stop there?" He whined into her mouth, but not connecting like he so wanted to. Murrue's mind flashed over what was spoken just a minute before, but it was dulled by her need to kiss him.

It was a mix of lust and love, she hoped the latter was the one fueling her fire, but it's not like she cared at that moment.

She pressed into him, even without the help his hands were giving her. Even her arms were curled around his neck, holding him tight.

He abruptly stopped the deep, soulful kiss, pushing Murrue away, when he realized he wouldn't be able to control himself any farther. That and the long, sweet song was about to end for that would cause people to seriously notice them . . . and though he might have shrugged it off, even the strong ex-Captain before him would fall to the embarrassment.

Instead, Mu grabbed her hand and led Murrue out of the restaurant, making sure to catch her jacket and purse on the way.

"Wait, we didn't pay!"

"Don't worry; the owner's a friend of mine. He'll bill me directly," Mu grinned.

"Oh, so that's how you could get the best table in one of the finest restaurants in town on a day's notice?" Murrue's eyebrows arched sneakily and he sheepishly shrugged.

". . . Yeah."

They had rushed to the restaurant before, so they took their merry little time in walking home. It was cold, cooler than before, and the air had that crisp, old life taste to it. Autumn was here.

"What's today?" He asked aloud in the still night.

"The first, why?" Murrue cocked her head in confusion

Mu shuddered in the dark, still not letting go of her hand. Instead he kissed it. Lightly; lovingly.

"Nothing," he playfully avoided but she knew anyway.

Their wedding—less than three weeks away.

The cold was beginning to get to them now: Murrue's cheeks were pinking up, their breath hanging in the air; she shivered beneath her coat before cozying up to his arm, almost clinging to it.

Their house came into view.

"What do you want to do?" He asked innocently. "I'm not tired . . ."

"I liked what we were doing back there," she flushed beneath the existing red. "Except—you know . . ."

"Ms. Ramius, have you been reading my mind?" Mu glanced at her, grinning as he opened the door.

* * *

**AN: **You can think what you want about what happens next, but I won't elaborate any more on that night . . . 

But for other news, in the next chapter I promise you'll begin to learn Mu's motivation behind dancing.

Speaking of dancing, These are selected lyrics from Brad Paisley's song, "We Danced" that so nicely applied, I couldn't not include them.

The last stanza here is originally in the center of the song, but it's shown here at the bottom because I couldn't include it without messing up the reading of what's before it. (The real, actual recorded song is a lot better, listen if you want to)

And we danced  
Out there on that empty hardwood floor  
The chairs up and the lights turned way down low  
The music played, we held each other close  
And we danced

Like no one else had ever danced before  
I can't explain what happened on that floor  
But the music played  
We held each other close  
And we danced  
Yeah, we danced

And from that moment  
There was never any doubt  
I had found the one  
That I had always dreamed about

See you next time--withouta song


	6. 2 Dreaming Pain

Yay!--Back again!

Warning: I think this chapter could be considered the 'darkest' out of the chapters so far--as well as the longest. Sorry for the way this chapter ends though . . . Oh well,'til next time then.

* * *

Murrue woke up to the soft patter of rain streaming against the large bedroom window. The clouds outside cast a grey tone over the room that couldn't help but lower your spirits with one glance. Murrue forced a smile to her natural lips as she blindly reached over to wake the one beside her up—except her hand caught air instead. 

"Mu?" She cocked her head, surprised by the emptiness and almost regretfully forced herself out of the toasty, warm bed. It sent a shiver up her spine when her feet touched the cold wooden floor; it seemed almost unnatural. "Mu . . . ?" She called out again, warily making her way out of the bedroom, half expecting him to be lounging about with a coffee mug stuck to his face, but when the door opened and no one was there . . . It was quiet, still, even the hum of the rain was lost.

Murrue glanced about the kitchen and living room once more before going over towards the staircase. She shivered, a cold draft had hit her, the wind blowing straight through her night-gown. Glancing around, looking for he source, that's when she saw it.

The front door, grandly set straight down the steps hung open ajar. The rain was pouring in, soaking the wooden floor, somehow turning red as it pooled. The door was held open by something pale but something dark and mostly coming from outside.

A hand.

A hand holding a small, black box.

Tears started coming to her face, cascading over cheeks, she didn't need to see who was outside.

That's when she heard it, the war going on outside, and she screamed.

---

Murrue woke with a start, a film of cold sweat plastered her body as she tried to calm herself down. Her head was blaring, echoing that cry over again. She was so lost, Murrue had no idea if that came out of her mouth as well.

_It was just a dream—just a dream . . ._

"Mu?" She finally gasped, reaching out for the close, reassuring hold. She reached—except her hand caught air instead.

Her throat started to constrict, the familiarity of it all was too unnerving. Murrue threw the covers off her warm legs and ran over to the closed bedroom door. Calling his name again, more sharper than before, she swung the door open, heart jumping farther up her throat at the empty kitchen. She ran almost full speed to the top of the stairs, chillingly surprised when she saw that the door wasn't open and that even though it was cloudy outside, it hadn't started to rain.

Her heart still beat unnaturally in her chest as Murrue turned around and weakly made her way over to the counter. Something small and propped up was waiting for her, she noticed.

When Murrue came close enough it came out to be a small pad of paper, the first sheet scribbled all over with blue. She couldn't keep the awkward smile off her lips as she read.

"_Sorry,_

_Called me in early but didn't have heart to wake you._

_Back by Six,_

_Promise."_

Mu had drawn a large, cheesy heart before signing his name; he even took the time to scribble it in with the blue pen he was writing with before leaving.

"Weird," Murrue muttered with a smile.

---

Six o'clock rolled around and Murrue was still waiting quietly in the kitchen, eyes frozen to the clock, watching the minutes pass. When it showed 5:59 her heart skipped a beat before slowing down. Mu's late; her face screwed up.

The clock behind her noisily broke the silence, beginning to count out the six chimes 'til 6 o'clock.

—Two—

—Three—

The doorbell rang in tune to the clock, and, regretfully by instinct, Murrue quickly ran down the stairs to see who could be at the door.

—Five— She swung the door open, heart stopping in confusion.

—Six—

"Pick a number 1 through 10!" He almost yelled with a grin spread clear across his face, leaning lopsidedly in the doorway.

"Mu!"

"Aww, come on, pick a number," he pleaded playfully.

"Uh-Eight?"

"Eight . . . that'd be this!" He grinned royally as he pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. Every flower Murrue knew of could be found in that bouquet; it had everything. Surely surprised, it took a while for it to fully register in the woman's mind. She reached out for the flowers, numbly taking them from his hands, bringing them to her nose to breathe in their captivating scent.

"Beautiful," she murmured into the blossoms.

"Beautiful flowers for the only flower most beautiful in my life," Mu replied softly as he somehow gave her a sweet kiss. He had a daisy in his other hand that he swiftly placed in Murrue's hair as he spoke.

He closed the door as rain started sprinkling down. When he went to hang his jacket up, that's when Murrue finally came back to her senses. Staring at the flowers in her hand, her eyebrow arched suspiciously.

"How long'd it take to think up that line?"

"Huh?" Mu spun around to her.

"Surely you didn't think that right up on the spot, so . . ." Dawning covered Mu's laughing face as he figured it out.

"If you must know, I thought it out while I was getting the flowers," he replied smartly.

"Then why'd you have me pick a number?" She pressed.

"Well, if you picked five or under, I'd give you that one flower then the bouquet while six or higher I'd give you the bouquet first. That and it was just fun. Your reaction was hilarious by the way." He grinned when she sighed; he had won again. "Sorry about leaving this morning. Some technical difficulties and they had to re-input all the data. Anyway, let's go get some water for those," Mu reminded, starting up the stairs.

"Mu . . . ?" Her soft voice caught him in his tracks.

"Yes?"

"Why are you trying so hard . . . ?" Murrue asked, amber eyes confused and questioning.

"I'm 'trying so hard'?"

"The flowers today, the bracelet you gave me Monday, that dinner thenight before. . . You didn't have to . . . I already agreed to marry you; in two weeks—you've already won me over, Mu! You don—" He stopped her protest with a long, slow kiss. When he broke off, he smiled at the pink that had started to gather on her cheeks.

"What do you want for dinner? . . . I believe it's my turn to cook," he spoke as if to the air.

"You're changing the subject again!" Murrue huffed angrily though she couldn't cover her smile.

"Whatever you want to talk about, we'll talk about, Murrue. Just . . . over dinner. You can't say you're not hungry," he mused, knowing full well her stomach was growling. She covered her sides in embarrassment. "Come on, let's go upstairs." Mu offered out his hand for hers, smiling placidly.

Murrue followed, somehow calm. He knew and she knew the answers for their questions. But . . . as for her dream . . .

_That can wait_, she told herself, _he doesn't have to know, not yet, even though he'd want to._

_---_

Mu sat up in the kitchen, staring out at the starry sky through the crystal windows. He couldn't sleep again, and instead of waking Murrue, he decided to move out of the bedroom to do his thinking.

He was thinking about a lot these days, he realized. It wasn't that he didn't think before, its just his thoughts had never haunted him before. He sat in the quiet darkness of the night; mind making no stops, for it kept running and running. The only thing that broke his train of thought came abruptly, sounding loud from his room.

He jumped to his feet.

A crashing sound splintered the silence. The unmistakable sound of shattering glass echoed in the vast house. Without a falter Mu rushed his way in, eyes meeting with the wet, ruined remains of one of his favorite crystal vases scattered across the floor, flowers from that day clumped where they fell, everything soaked in a pool of water.

Murrue, herself, didn't wake at the crash; she was still twisted up in the covers. Mu rushed around to the other side of the bed where the broken glass wasn't and tried to wake the shaking woman. She'd knocked over the vase in sleep and was still twisting and turning violently.

"Murrue?" He whispered, cautiously moving his hands closer to her. She must not have heard him. She didn't wake up. He spoke louder. "Murrue!"

_It's got to be a bad dream,_ he tried to reassure himself but instead he realized how scared he really was.

"Murrue!" He shouted, shaking her awake. Her face of suppressed pain instantly melted into shock and surprise when her eyes shot open. It took only a moment for her amber eyes to register Mu as the one standing over her. Without hesitation she grasped the closest thing she could and made a cement hold around his bare waist.

"Just . . . don't move . . ." She muttered weakly as she nestled her head closer to his supportive warmth. ". . . Please . . . don't."

Mu froze, eyes wide as he stared down at her. He wanted to pat her hair down, but he knew that wasn't what she needed. Instead he reached behind him to unclasp her threaded fingers, instantly guilty when she made a noise from the depths of her that promoted pain, anger, surprise. Thick hands wrapped around her wrists, he was easily able to pull her body up so she was almost kneeling on the mattress.

Mu moved forward. To kiss her with the utmost care, he reassured her he was there. He slowly slid them both back onto the bed with Murrue still clinging to him.

He could clean up the glass later because he laid there through the night in her arms. She never let him go--even after falling into a deep sleep.

---

Mu woke up to an empty bed. It had somehow gone to raining again even though the night before was clear and crisp. Somehow he wobbled his way slowly over to the door, half asleep. The door to the kitchen opened up to the gray, neutral room. Murrue huddled over a mug of coffee, tentatively drinking, sitting down at the table.

"Morning," he yawned, running his fingers through his thick blond hair.

"I'm sorry," she replied in a softly troubled voice that woke up Mu's recollection of the night before.

"What's there to be sorry about?" Her amber eyes traveled over to the towel laying flat beside her, shards of glass resting peacefully as if arranged for a museum exhibit.

"I knocked it over, didn't I? I'm sorry."

"That's not what you're sorry for," he told her coldly making his way over to the counter to pour himself some pre-made coffee.

"You're right," Murrue trembled, forcing herself to go on. Her face, though, found her steaming, swirling coffee more interesting. "I-I'm sorry . . . for, uh, . . ."

"You know," Mu interrupted her, "you _can_ tell me _any_thing, but you _can't_ tell me _every_thing." Her gaze shot up, strained face cracking into a smile.

"Thank you . . ." Mu smiled back, eyes resting on a piece of paper pinned to the corner. His face broke out in a misplaced grin.

"You're gonna hate me for changing the subject, but," he picked the note up and waved it childishly in the air. "We really need the things on this list. You know, the basics for survival—food, water, coffee . . ." Murrue held in a laugh. "So, what do you say, want to come with to get them?" Murrue grinned at Mu's playful side that he couldn't possibly hide. He was always like that—so immature it works.

"You're casual to a fault, you know that right?" She revealed, eyebrow arching with her revelation.

"And if you knew that, would it change anything?"

"No," she laughed. "I'd go with you—except—I can't."

"You . . . can't?"

"No . . . see, um, I have _other_, uh, 'errands' to run . . ." Murrue blushed, turning her face away from his prodding gaze.

"What other errands?"

"Like . . . like getting my dress fitted," she burst, suddenly brash; Mu broke into one of his roguish grins as he picked her out of the chair, 'helping' her to her 'feet.'

"Yes, yes, we can't have you without a wedding dress on your wedding day," he scoffed as she struggled to get him to put her down, laughing all the while.

---

Mu casually walked down the busy city street, umbrella in hand on Murrue's orders it had started to rain again. He had a bit of trouble with it though because she insisted he use the pink one because all the others were broken or lost. When he retorted that she herself needed an umbrella as well she simply said she'd call a cab. Unlike him, she only had one place to stop by while he had a few different stores to visit. Sadly, Mu lost that round and was now walking around town with a pink umbrella with no girl to share it with.

Life was tough.

Thankfully it stopped raining while in his first store so without hesitation, Mu closed the umbrella for another use. He had only stepped into one store so far and he was already tired. What he bought though kept his interest as he read the back of the box thoroughly.

"Yo, Mu!" Someone's voice caught his attention: familiar yet not readily known. Mu turned to see Kira walking steadily towards him. He smiled, for he hadn't seen Kira since he proposed, around seven months before.

"Kid," Mu called back, seamlessly sliding the box into his deep coat pocket in hopes Kira didn't see.

"How's it going with you and Murrue? Two weeks and counting!" The boy reminded with a fake smile.

"Great. Things couldn't be better!"

"Really?" Kira cast a suspicious look at his former Commander. "Then, what're the sleeping pills for?" In truth, Kira did see what Mu slid into his pocket and it made the boy almost nervous.

Mu was taken aback for only a moment before sighing and turning halfway to the side, smiling knowingly. His hand, still stuck in his pocket, lightly traced the edges of the box of 'sleeping pills.' Actually, they were dreamless sleeping pills for Murrue in case she ever wanted them. His mind vividly flashed back to the night before and his light blue eyes started to water, if only slightly. It was the reason he was 'trying so hard.'

"I'm having second-thoughts," Mu announced with a half-hearted smile.

"You!" Kira was surprised; he didn't get it.

"Yes, _me_ . . . _I_'m the one having the second-thoughts, Kid."


	7. 2 Sick with Love?

In fact, I think this is the longest of the chapters. And I must say, it kind of gets a bit wordy.

Gotta love odd love stories written by a girl who can't write romance . . . (something fishy going on here)

I'll update soon.--The next/ last of Part 2/ 8th/ last/ etc.chapter's already written and as a warning, it's gonna be a shorty

* * *

"Yes, _me_ . . . _I_'m the one having the second-thoughts, Kid." 

"What? Why would you—what about Murrue?"

"Murrue . . ." Mu repeated, almost relishing the sound of her name on his lips. His cheeks started to pink, if ever so slightly, gaze diverted from Kira's, in the awkwardness of the situation. "I _love_ her . . . with all my heart, I do, but . . ."

"But what?"

"If one of us was to—"

"Don't think that!" Kira exclaimed quickly, caught off guard by the direction the conversation was taking.

"I have to!" Mu retorted, laughter lost. "If one of us was to _die_ . . . I don't know what I would do. I mean, losing her would be losing everything, of course, but if she was to lose me—and I didn't come back—What wou— . . . !"

"Mu . . ."

"Being engaged is easy . . ." He replied, quiet and still. "Take off a stupid ring and it's over. But getting married? That entails a whole lot more! It was hard enough before—I don't think we'll get through this next jump, Kira . . . What—what are we gonna do . . .?" It was like Mu lost all sense of who it was he was taking into his confidence. Awkwardness was the last thing from his mind. Kira sighed.

"For a question like that, you should take it up with your fiancée, Mu."

"But—"

"In my opinion, it all comes down to one question with one answer," Kira replied quietly, fixing up his umbrella as it had started to rain once more:

". . . 'What's worse: never getting married and possibly losing her, or saying 'I do' with the knowledge one of you will be lost down along the line?' Think about it. And maybe I'll see you in two weeks."

---

The next week was simple, generic; it went by without _known_ incident. Of course, since they had both taken two weeks off work, one week before and one week after the big day, the Military was squeezing them for every penny they were worth. Needless to say, Mu and Murrue didn't see each other much.

Every time he did get a glimpse into her deep eyes or a kiss from her sweet lips, Mu's thoughts reverted back to his from before and Kira's simplistic, haunting response. He'd done nothing—not yet, and in truth, he was still so afraid to face it.

He wasn't the only one; Murrue had been unknowingly avoiding her fiancé as well. Though, she wished she hadn't.

That day, with the calendar already checked off—a week left till 'then'—Mu arrived home earlier than usual before her, giving him time spent alone inside the empty house. It was always like this around when his thoughts attacked—why he had kept himself busy the past few days.

The creaking sound of the front door opening was the welcome sound he needed. Murrue was home. Somehow, he found himself grinning as he watched her climb the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good Afternoon," he greeted playfully, surprising even himself. His blue eyes scanned her worn face. "Hard day?"

"Yes. Very," she sighed, finding a way to give him a light kiss, missing his mouth drowsily. It was obvious she wanted the couch more than anything at the moment.

"You shouldn't tire yourself out so much, Murrue," he warned with a smile, finding it almost amusing how she plopped herself into the full cushions. "But, as good news, only a few more days of work left for us in a while. I can't wait. What about you Murrue?"

Mu waited for her to reply, anything would have been fine, even a 'shut up, I'm tired,' except he got nothing. He cocked his head, making his way closer to the couch. "Murrue . . . ?"

No movement.—at all.

"Murrue!"

---

He watched helplessly, eyes scouring over the half-conscious, sweating woman, wishing there was more he could do than just giving her fever medicine. Murrue shifted under the almost sticky covers of the bed in her sickness. Hopefully, her temperature was going down. He pat her shoulder lovingly reassuring, but pulled back, quietly cursing to himself, the instant he realized he had started to trace her sultry outline with his hand.

_Stupid! Stupid! She's sick!_

"I'll get you some water," Mu told her quickly. He started making his way to the door, but Murrue weakly reached out and just grabbed the back of his loose shirt.

". . . ugh . . . wait . . . Mu . . ." Was all she could get out in a weak whisper that spun him around.

"Huh?" It brought the man closer with questioning eyes. Murrue etched herself back on the bed, and, with a stiff arm, lifted the covers up pleadingly. He froze, trying hard to keep his eyes off of her half-unbuttoned nightgown by staring at her soft, tired face. She took advantage of his stiffening, grabbed his wrist, and with one forceful tug, pulled him down into the mattress. Murrue let the covers fall lightly on the both of them.

". . . cold," she murmured as she snuggled even closer to him. Mu just laid there, stiff as a board, eyes shut tight, feeling her quick, hurried breaths dance across his neck. 'Thoughts' that had begun to seep into his mind were being furiously forced back.

_Stop! She's sick, she's sick, she's—_

It was like she had been reading his mind because before he could do anything, she wrapped her arms around him and pushed her lips to his.

Mu tried to resist her, but the harder he fought the quicker he was being pulled in: by her taste, her scent, her feel. He even went as far to try to tell her to 'stop,' but when his lips opened, she immediately deepened. Hope was lost and he willingly gave in, returning the embrace, having all sense leave and letting his body take over.

---

It was quiet that morning, quieter than he would have liked, but he couldn't get everything, could he. I mean, he was already going to get married to _her_, what more could he want?

_Closure._ His mind answered for him.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to get it," Mu muttered aloud, sipping his routine morning coffee. He wasn't hungry but the smell of breakfast filled the crisp kitchen with Murrue's untouched plate. He glanced at the door of his bedroom, thinking about who was restlessly sleeping on the other side.

He'd already called Murrue in sick for work, and after a bit of smooth-talking, called himself in also so he could stay by her side. Mu sat in his thoughts until the click of the door woke him up.

_Then again . . ._

"Good Morning," she greeted dimly, trying hard to hide the weakness, but he could see it. No problem.

"What are you doing up?" He asked.

"I have to go to work," she tried to smile, but subtly leaned against the door frame for support.

"No, you don't," he told her, making his way forward. "You're going to rest. Your wedding's in less than a week, we don't want you sick."

"Oh, the wedding . . . there's so much I have to do . . ."

"I'll do it, don't worry."

"But—"

"No 'but's," Mu softly smiled, sweeping her off her feet as he gingerly held her in his arms. He pushed the bedroom door open with his foot to carry her inside. She almost fell straight asleep in his arms. He pushed off a shiver at the rushing memory of the night before. Instead, Mu set her down on the mattress and slid the covers over her sleeping body. "Just rest," he murmured, giving her a soft kiss on her warm forehead.

_Then again, maybe closure isn't so far._

_---_

The following week went by so hard and fast, Mu was sure he never experienced anything so taxing on his mind and body—war included. Ever since Murrue regained back her health and strength, they had gone over every little smidgen of a detail from the moment they woke up on that welcoming day to when the sun set. "They went to the wedding here, then they took a car here where the reception would be heldat thattime. Then they went here, then . . . etc." Not only did they check and recheck everything not once, twice or thrice but way, way more. Soon though, Salvation came and saved them in the form of 'The Day Before.'

Usually on days before a big day, like say, oh, a wedding (!) most people would be running faster and faster in their wheel to only get nowhere. But for Mu and Murrue, it was a peaceful calm.—after a few issues were persistently worked out of course . . .

A Bachelor Party. Murrue couldn't understand why Mu didn't want to have one. He laughed about it and gave the answer that 'he hasn't been a bachelor in a very long time though he may act like one.' Yes, Murrue glared at his little add in, but blushed when he retorted about no Bachelorette Party for her. She had no answer.

Another _undemanding_ exclusion was the loss of a 'Rehearsal Dinner.' At the wedding the next day, people were going to have lunch, like a classy buffet. Simple, but effective. Plus, where as most rehearsal dinners were usually just family, to both Mu and Murrue, the other was the only family they had left.

They spent the otherwise lost time with each other.

Once the sun set though, it seemed to change. The placid, relaxing air was gone and the atmosphere somehow more stifling. Murrue excused herself into the room they had been sharing to change into her bed-clothes. She sat down at her small little vanity, quietly fidgeting with her earrings, trying to get them out.

It was too quiet.

"Will you marry me?" Mu's soft voice drifted stilly through the room, startling Murrue from her deep concentration. She glanced up from trying to thread her earring out to look at the man through the mirror. He leaned in the doorway, half-hearted, lopsided grin daintily held to his face, as if just painted there.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She laughed returning back to work, now trying to taken to the left side.

"Will you marry me?" He asked again, no real change to his voice. Murrue dropped what she was doing to spin around in her chair. She knew Mu enough to know that if he asked a question twice, it was a rare, no-laughing matter.

Her own mouth slowly twisted into a soft, quiet smile before answering, taking a moment to reassure her thoughts.

"Yes," Murrue answered simply. Mu, as it looked, took a deep breath before serenely moving forward from where he was leaning on the door. She left it quiet for a moment watching him approach before doubling back. "Now—"

"Can I kiss you?" He interrupted in that same, simplistic tone.

"Whah—" That one caught her off guard. Murrue tried to laugh, but it came out a sour shot at the past. "Don't you think it's a bit late for that one, Mu?"

"Well, if I had asked the first time, would you have said yes?" He laughed at that one, regaining a bit of his humor.

"No, actually," she stiffly retorted with a smile.

"Hence my reasoning," he grinned, that infamous roguish one pushing through the surface as he came closer before it being lost to care. Mu's callused fingers ran softly down her cheek, pushing Murrue's hair out of the way. "What about now? Can I kiss you?"

There it was, the repeat question.

Murrue's amber eyes looked up to search his, but they foundeverything she already knew to be there, their playfulness, though, was gone. He waited, affectionately stroking her cheek as she stayed planted in the chair.

". . . yes. Yes, you can kiss me," she almost breathed in response before his mouth came and captured hers—or the other way around—neither was paying the least attention, which would also explain why Murrue was suddenly on her feet and in his arms when only a moment before she was sitting peacefully and neither knew how.

". . . While we're on the topic of past questions," she started, gaze focused away from his as her hold on his arms strengthened. "Remember when you promised you wouldn't die on me?" She weakly reminded, eyes washing over the ring on her hand.

"I renew that promise tenfold," Mu whispered as he slowly reached down and curled her left hand inside his. Eyes watching every move, he took the greatest care in bringing her thin hand to his lips to land a gentle kiss on the silver ring he'd given her. "I'll never leave you."

---

Murrue rummaged around through the dresser drawers in her room searching for that perfect necklace Mu had given her a few months before for her birthday. It fit her dress even more than the jewelry she had originally planned to wear and now she couldn't find it. In a desperate attempt she turned to the drawers for clothing, hoping it slid into one of them by accident.

Mu had left the room and was already 'sleeping' in his study downstairs. He'd read somewhere that it was bad luck for soon-to-be Newlyweds to sleep in the same room the night before the wedding and ever since he insisted that he sleep downstairs. Murrue had tried to talk him out of it—several times—except his persistence was such that he could keep going long after she gave up. That and she finally realized what he was trying to do.

Giving some much needed down time for her.

A smile gracefully came to her lips and Murrue went to hide it though she was the only one in the room. The conversation from before was almost guiltily running happily over in her mind, and not for the first time either.

Murrue felt her fingers pass over the jewelry chain from inside the depths of the drawer but by that time her mind seemed to be severed from all of her senses.

She felt her chest constrict painfully, creating a very numb sensation for her. Connecting two and three was always like that.

She understood.

She finally did.

She didn't understand it then, while dancing, but now she knew the thought put into every word, every syllable.

_'Even if I can't be by your side, I'll always be with you. You know that, right?'_

And just that night, he reminded her of it. _'I'll never leave you'_ means that he never will, but, it also means . . . he could still die . . .

He could still die.

Murrue finally had pulled the necklace from the drawer. Even unearthed she didn't see it. She didn't see she pulled the wrong necklace up and that the one she was holding so desperately was in the shape of a silver coffin, pink rose carved onto the side.

She didn't notice, but she had reason.

Tears had welled up in her large, shaking eyes and started running down her cheeks, spilling over onto the floor in great splashes. She didn't move to wipe them away or to stop their flow—one would think she didn't even know them to be there. She was too caught up in herself to notice.

She stood there in the dark as the minutes slowly passed.

Crying for reasons not yet known to her.

_---_

_This was it . . . _

Mu stood there, checking himself out in front of the mirror, uneasily calm. It was that fact alone that was making him sweat in the tuxedo he was busy donning. He had just finished making his tie reasonable, though he'd rather have gone without, when he heard the click of the door behind him.

She appeared in the closed doorway, arms quietly caught around her chest. Wearing long, white silk that simply hung around her body with a short train, she forlornly looked at him through the soft sheet of the veil that fell before her eyes. Though he saw it all, even her face, he couldn't help but display his signature roguish grin.

"You know, it's bad luck to see the bride be—"

"Screw luck," she burst out in a quiet mutter. Suddenly, his face softened in his knowledge.

He _had_ been expecting it after all.

"Ah . . . second thoughts?"

"Actually," Murrue walked right up to Mu, grinning as always, and gave him a very hard and very loud smack on the cheek. He kept his head turned away, eyes wide as he went to place his hand on his sore face.

He certainly wasn't expecting that.


	8. 2 Shock

Sorry about before, a little glitch, fixed and everything. And for the wait . . . Plus, this chapter is longer--way way longer than the other. HopefullyI dont too out of character on this one, but it is a fanfiction you know . . .

Recap:

_Murrue walked right up to Mu, grinning as always, and gave him a very hard and very loud smack on the cheek. He kept his head turned away, eyes wide as he went to place his hand on his sore face._

_He certainly wasn't expecting that._

**

* * *

**"That is for asking me to marry you, you jerk!" She softly cried, amber eyes beginning to well up with a trace of tears. "And this—" She moved her hands closer to his face and he instinctively shirked away, but she caught his chin and brought it down for a kiss: deep and invigorating where her true feelings shone through. For once, all Mu could do was stand there. 

"—is for asking me to marry you, you jerk!" She finished; though still tearing up, he knew it wasn't something to worry about at that moment.

He stared at her with a mixture of shock, awe, love and emotions that didn't even have names to them. They all swirled around in his eyes and she blushed.

"I-I just had to do that, t-to know . . . I-I'm sorry," Murrue fell in on herself, sheepishly making her way over to the door.

"Hey, you can't do that and leave," he mused, walking up to her, catching her with the dressing room door half open. "What about my turn?" He went to kiss her, smiling when she accepted. With a soft push against the door with his foot, it slowly closed shut, leaving them alone in the room again.

"I hate you for making me care about you so much."

"And that means what, again?"

"I love you, Mu LaFlaga," she whispered into his ear when it was over.

"Well, that's good to hear. I love you, _Ms_. Murrue." She smiled:

"Do you really?"

Mu's eyebrows arched at her specific choice of question; he shifted his hold on her, arms wrapping farther around her waist. He held her closer, smiling.

"I do . . ." His eyes arched, waiting for her approval. When she shook her head, Mu nearly crumbled. Except, what he got was even better.

"No, no! Not _yet_ . . ." She leaned back putting her weight on his wrapped around hands. Murrue looked up into his eyes and childishly pouted. "You don't say it** _yet_**"

"Oh? Well, then when do you want me to say it?" Mu almost whined back, challenging her rare childish demeanor. Almost immediately, Murrue straightened up while still using his arms for support.

She never wanted to let him go even if it all turned out to be just a dream. It was like it suddenly became real to her.

"You'll know." Her vague answer echoed in the small room as she went to kiss him again. When she moved away, Mu had to keep in a laugh. He had just realized how smudged her makeup was—meaning it was all over his face as well—and either she didn't notice or just didn't care.

"So . . ." Mu started, surprising Murrue; she thought the conversation was over. That, and his hands had slid their way up from her waist, making their way purposefully to her shoulders over the thin, ivory silk. ". . . so, we're in love with each other, right?"

She didn't let her sudden confusion get in their way by getting the best of her.

"Yes."

Now his hands were making their way slowly down her bare arms, softly running over her smoothness. Even his eyes were caught by the movement. Their intense blue, slowly but surely, moved from her arms to her rapturous face over and over again.

"And . . . are we getting married . . . today?" His hands had stopped, coupling around her wrists, as he anchored his gaze onto hers.

"Yes, we are," Murrue replied, inward smile growing when she saw he almost let out a sigh of relief. It struck her memory. "But . . ."

His breath stopped in his throat when her hands tightened beneath his.

"'But'?" She couldn't place it, but his voice seemed to almost move slightly higher than before. Even then, neither could keep their smiles away.

"I had this really interesting conversation yesterday about us—Well, it wasn't really a conversation . . . but I kinda wish it was."

"With who?" Mu cocked his head.

"Kira."

"Kira?" Her amber eyes flicked up. She couldn't miss it; his voice definitely went up that time.

"Is there an echo? I said Kira." She turned partly away, both sternly and playfully. "Anyway, we had this almost 'question and answer' session about today—details and such—and then he said something I found strange."

"Strange?"

This time she just glared. Mu was not usually the one to repeat _others_.

"Yes . . . He said, 'I'm glad to see Mu worked it all out.' I was confused because any details about the wedding would be between you and _me_. What did you need to work out, Mu . . . ?—"

"Flowers!" He burst out the first word that came to mind. Looking back on it, he was sure he said it so quickly that if he was hungry he would have said 'Cheese!' or something without second thinking it before it left his mouth. Of course, his outburst did not lower her suspicion at all. "I accidentally ordered yellow roses instead of red . . . and . . . ah, yeah."

He went to flash a reassuring smile but Murrue already had her head turned away, focusing her brown eyes on the floor, not to mention she'd pushed her way from his suddenly limp arms.

"Even _today_ . . ." she started. Mu quickly moved his hand to her face in fear.

He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her that he, of all people, second guessed his own proposal. And he sure as Hell couldn't let her know he still felt that way—that the fear was still largely there and he knew he could never 'work it out.' Murrue was going through the same thing he was—or he at least he thought. Anyway, when it came to the fear itself . . . he had to show the same confidence she showed in him.

They'd get through it. But he still couldn't tell her.

"Murrue . . ." Was all he could get out and all she could take. His tone and his eyes she felt rip through her. Surely not the emotion you would feel on your wedding day. To both their shock, he went on. He had difficulty getting words out evenly or getting them out at all.

Any trace of a laugh was gone.

"I . . . I was . . . scared. Scared of . . . of . . . I was . . ."

A hurried knock on the dressing room door was all Mu needed to eagerly slip away. When he did, though, it felt like he shouldn't have moved at all and have stayed blubbering up nothing in front of Murrue like a child.

Then again, he'd already ruined everything in a few moments, how far deeper could he possibly dig himself?

Mu made a noise when the knock came again, to assure the person outside he was there, before actually moving his feet to make it happen. As he walked away from her, he licked his dry lips, the fragrantly sweet-sour taste of her lipstick washing over him.

Doubling back, Mu hastily grabbed a tissue from the box on the vanity. Murrue watched as he dropped one of the thin slips unnoticed to the stone floor. She stared blankly at it as he roughly wiped the invading makeup away from his face with the other.

The door opened just enough for Mu to poke his now lipstick-free face out the room.

"Mu!" It was that small guy at the door. The one who's just like a rat and never stops moving at weddings because if people miss cues and stuff it's their fault. Mu flashed a smile even though there was nothing backing it up.

"Yes . . . ?"

"Have you seen the bride? Murrue's not in her dressing room and we don't know where to look and the wedding's in five minutes!" The man squeaked in one hurried breath. Without glancing behind him and into his room, Mu casually replied.

"Have you looked in the bathroom?"

"Bathroom? Bathroom! Good, good . . . check the bathrooms . . ." He quickly ran off down the hall and Mu couldn't help but quiver a smile at the look of the small man running off going over details in his mind.

Mu slowly shut the door in front of him, but before he looked back into the room, he felt a light almost angelic pressure to his back. He spun to find his dressing room empty, a side door quietly closing, and a single tissue wafting to the floor from where it had recently slid off the table.

Too confused and stunned to think anything at the moment, even question where Murrue went or break down if she left at his inability to answer her, Mu just lazily drifted over and picked the thin napkin and held it open in his hand. Before he saw _it_, he had started to realize the pain that had started to form, but when he noticed the two hastily scribbled letters, written with great difficulty, all that pain washed away leaving only giddy confusion.

_'O K'_

It was her beautiful script.

Maybe she didn't understand it and maybe she did or thought she did, the point was she was going to marry him anyway.

_She was going to marry him anyway._

Mu grinned as the tissue crumpled easily in his hand. _Man, how I'm going to kill that kid if he ever makes me go through that again . . . _

_---_

It was happening.

There they were.

There was no going back . . .

But neither wanted to.

All throughout the service, they stole glances from one another: Mu, marveling in the untouched beauty that was Murrue and even if they ripped his heart out and let him die, he imagined he could die happy as long as he saw her that way; and Murrue kept looking Mu over, especially his left hand that she saw was unnoticeably shaking, and all-in-all he looked like a cute little boy just on ten, shy and excited.

'_I love you,_' she mouthed to him, eyes brimming with her words. Murrue worked hard to keep from letting even a giggle escape, which was hard because she imagined her cheeks were already a bright red.

'_Do you really_?'He mouthed back. She grinned, knowing exactly what he was making her do.

"**_I do_**."

She worked hard trying to remember every detail of that one important moment, but she was too busy trying to engrave it into her memories, she didn't hear the man's last words before Mu eagerly kissed her, even though to everybody else, he went slow.

It was a blur, everything, from walking back down the aisle to being outside with the flying rose petals of every color streaming down on them to the applause and well-whishes that followed them into the waiting car.

The door shut behind them and the closed off back seat was remarkably quiet. The car lurched forward slowly and Murrue couldn't help but nuzzle herself closer into her new husband as if to make sure he was still there, this wasn't a dream. His hand ran over her thick hair lovingly in return, eyes not able to stray far from her restful face.

Unsurprisingly, he was the first to break the peaceful, lulling silence.

"You know," he sighed, knowing, playful smile appearing on his tanned face, "I wish we didn't have to go to this damn reception and we could skip straight to tonight . . . A whole week with 'nothing to do' . . ."

Mu's eyes flicked down to see her reaction, meeting with an adorable smile flourished with slight pink around her cheeks, tawny eyes flashing. She softly pushed herself up to kiss him, missing his mouth and landing an affectionate, velvety one on his cheek.

"Yep," she smiled, tone, quiet and childish. "Especially since you're already going to be a father . . ."

He immediately straightened out, shocked blue eyes looking pleadingly into hers, voice barely over a whisper.

"What!"


	9. Part Three

There used to be an epilogue here, but seeing as how the epilogue turns out to also be the prologue for the sequel. I thought that thescene fit more in with that story than this and so that would be why I took down the Epilogue that was here. Okay?

* * *

The "sequel" I've decided to dofor Never 'I do,' Never die is called It Should've Been Me

You can find it as a seperate story.

It's written as a separate story because it was written to a nagging curiosity of mine of where the story could go if it didn't end.

Now, I absolutely love the ending of Never/Never, and that's why it's going to be separate. It isn't really a continuance, per say, it's just something that COULD have happened.

Let me warn you—there is a '_bittersweet'_ end most people will end up hating me for, I guess I could say . . . And that's why it IS NOT a sequel for Never/Never

It is an OPTIONAL 'Part Three' for people to read.

Don't hate me!

As I've said above, the Prologue for that story is teh Epilogue that used to be here. Get it?

Read on if you so care.


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